Halton Boy

Hello everyone Please could someone tell me if it is possible to get O gauge conflats sign written. My late father was an electrical engineer. I want to mark up some conflats with his company name. N H Rankin & Sons Electrical Engineers I am not sure how I could do this. transfers or made up signs? I have made a image of what I want using a picture of a altered conflat. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you Ken

Thank you Michael I have added a working Peco trap point and two home signals. I have renumbered the points. Here I have worked out a train movement from siding 1 to siding 2. I need one Dapol bracket signal. Six Cobalt signal levers and eight Cobalt point motors. Two double slip switches, three points and one trap point. I do not want to add ground signals as this would cost too much. Therefore freight only. I will work out more train movements to ensure I have got the operation correct. I think it would be difficult to operate two engines at the same time. One engine would need to be held somewhere whilst the other was being moved. This should be interesting to operate. Thank you Ken

Hello Michael Thank you for your help. I have renumbered the plan. I hope I have got it correct. I think that I only need 4 signal levers to operate the point motors for the points. When levers 1 - 2 - 3 - 6 are set to normal the engine can run through to the buffer stop. When lever 1 is pulled the engine can run through to the buffer stop on the loop. Have I got this correct? Thank you Michael and Keith

Hello everyone I have a question that I hope someone can answer regarding the plan below: To save space instead of using four points as in the lower plan, I was going to use two double slip switches. Am I correct in thinking that a double slip is the same as two points back to back? If signal box lever 1 is in the normal position then that part of the double slip is set to go straight through. If signal box lever 2 is in the normal position then that part of the double slip is set to go straight through. If signal box lever 2 is in the pulled position then that part of the double slip is set to go down to slip b. Would I need to interlock lever 2 and 3 or would they be operated by one lever, lever 2? In the lower plan I think I would have points 2 and 3 operated by the same lever like the loco release. Here I have remade the plans with the right hand side of slip A and the left hand side of slip B operated by signal box lever 2. I have done the same thing with the lower plan using points. The only signals would be on the main line indicating straight ahead or into the loop as the plan is goods only. Please can someone tell me how to connect the signal box levers to operate the double slips as per the prototype. Thank you. Ken

Hello Jeremy Thank you for your help. I will read through what you have said so that I fully understand what I need to change. The main problem that I have is that I am trying to put too much signaling into an area used for shunting, which did not happen on the prototype. I will look at protype layouts to see what will work. Ken

Hi everyone I have revised the layout and changed the signals. 1 starter 2 advanced starter 3 shunt ahead signal 5 engine release ground disc 6 engine release points 7 engine release ground disc 8 crossover ground disc 9 crossover points 10 FPL not modelled 11 crossover ground disc 12 home signal not modelled 14 head shunt ground disc 15 siding D points 16 siding B-C points 11 levers in total I am not sure if I need to signal the points for 15 and 16 A set of points beyond home signal 12 gives access to the rest of the station. Please tell me what you think. Ken

Hi Chris I understand what you are saying. So I will change the layout so that it is the top half of a larger passenger station. I just need an excuse to use signals on a shunting layout. The levers for the points are 1-2-3-4 and the points have ground discs interlocked with them. Lever 1 operates the crossover and the two discs. Lever 2 operates the engine release and the two discs. Lever 3 operates the point and two discs from the run round loop to the sidings B and C. Lever 4 operates the point and two discs from the run round loop to the siding D. On the protype I think the discs are operated by separate levers to the point levers. The ground disc levers interlock the points via rods. The point cannot be changed until the ground signal is operated. Point lever number 4 operates the point for siding D and the two discs near the point. The top disc is for straight ahead and the bottom disc is for the siding D. I could wire the cross over so that lever 1 operates the two points and the two discs as they move together. I could wire the engine release so that lever 2 operates the two points and the two discs as they move together. Would it be easier and more like the prototype to have separate levers for point 3 and the two discs. Also point 4 and the two discs? I will remake the layout and post the changes. Ken

Now that Dapol have announced production of O gauge electrically operated ground signals I have produced a layout diagram based on a disused station being used as a goods yard. If I use DCC Concepts Cobolt signal levers and analogue point motors combined with Dapol motorised signals can I operate the layout by combining the ground signals and the point operation using one signal lever for the operation of the point and the ground signal. Lever one operates the two ground discs and the cross over points. Lever one in normal position sets the disc signals to stop and the points to normal running. Lever one reversed sets the ground discs on and the points to the cross over. Lever two in normal position sets the top disc on and the bottom disc to stop with the points to normal running. Lever two reversed sets the bottom disc on and the top disc to stop and moves the points to the yard. I am not sure if this is correct. The starter signal (5) and shunt ahead signal (6) are left over from the days of passenger working. With the trailing crossing I am not sure that the shunt ahead would be needed, but it would be nice to have it. Any advice is much appreciated. Ken

Hello Captain Hobbs Hill is a name that I made up. I did not know it is a real place. Thank you for letting me know. Ken

Hello everyone I have remeasured the space available and have increased the size of the layout. Here are two versions of the new layout. The first plan looks cleaner but puts the engine shed close to the head shunt. The fiddle yard is now 1500mm long with 300mm of that, pale buff, being scenic. I have based the buildings on those made by Skytrex as they are more compact than other makes available. I have some sheets of plywood which I will cut up. I will place some track on them and draw around the track onto the boards. I am not sure if I should buy the Skytrex buildings at this point. I have been working on the logic for the layout and have produced this map: The single line branch leaves the BR WR main line at Mandaville junction. It is eight miles to the large village of Kingswood. The station there has a passing loop and a goods shed. Kingswood is known for its furniture production. Four miles on is the village of Walton Turville which has a halt on the single line. Half a mile further on are the sidings for Dobbings Lane quarry. The quarry produces road stone. Trains from the quarry will sometimes run into Hobbs Hill station to run round the wagons and leave bunker first. Road stone is delivered to Hobbs Hill rear siding for the local council to use on their roads. Coal for local use is delivered to Hobbs Hill along with other goods. The main freight traffic to and from Hobbs Hill is connected with the Alexandra Drapery Company. I am ready to cut the wood up now. Ken

Hello everyone I have decided to go with this plan for now. I have modelled the engine, vans and coaches to scale and placed them on the plan. I have increased the fiddle yard from 1000mm to 1200mm. This makes the overall layout 5000mm which is the maximum I can have. Although I can fit two coaches and a tank engine in the station I can only fit one coach and tank engine in the fiddle yard. The fiddle yard will be two second hand 1200mm cassettes that I have purchased. I am more interested in the freight working than the passenger working as the passenger working will just be into the station, run round then out again. I could attach a van to the passenger coach. I can get four vans and a tank engine into the station, but only three vans and a tank engine into the fiddle yard which could make for some interesting shunting in the yard and station. Please let me know what you think of this layout. Have I got something wrong? I will sort out the signalling once the plan is complete. Ken

Hello everyone The station in the small town of Hobb's Hill is the subject of this fictional station model in O gauge. The main employer in the town is the Alexandra Drapery Company which produces ladies clothes and accessories and fine linen products. The branch line to Hobb's hill was fourteen miles long with two intermediate stations. The branch became part of the GWR and is now part of BR WR. There are four passenger trains per day plus freight workings. Here are the proposed layout plans. Each space on the plan is 300mm. The station buildings will not be modelled. Only the platform will be shown. The size of the engine and goods sheds are based on available models. The layout will only be used at home. I have not used a double slip in station plan 3 because of the spacing. I will work on the signals once I have decided on a plan for the station. Ken

Hello Paul I will try your advice. Thank you Ken

Hello everyone Thank you Richard for the picture. I am not sure what to do now, I feel like giving up as I have tried lots of plans in Anyrail, but they get too big and do not offer much operating interest. I have the O gauge books and other books as well. The problem is that Peco track does not fit the plans in the books as people make their own track. I am not that skilled. I only know that I do not want a shunting puzzle type layout. I will take a break from it for a while as work is very busy at the moment. Thank you everyone. Ken

Hello Phil I understand what you are saying, its just that I like the idea of just modelling the engine shed area. I have revised the plan to put the coal stage on the end of the turntable road. At 13' long I can put the layout on trestles on my patio. I have thought through the running and I think it would work. The green engine (14xx) runs from the cassette onto track B, having dropped the two coaches off at the station (which is not modelled). It fills its water tanks, from the water tower, on the cross over. The engine runs forward into the engine shed. The engine reverses across the turntable to the coaling stage to take on coal. The engine runs forward onto the turntable and is turned. The engine reverses into the engine shed. The engine runs down onto track B across the crossover on to track A and into the cassette. The fact that this is part of a real station is what appeals to me. Would they have parked the coaches for the early morning train on siding A or B overnight? They normally have a carriage shed. Each coach is about 475mm long. Two coaches could sit on track A opposite the engine shed. Ken

Hello everyone I have found a time table for the branch which shows mostly passenger workings with two freight workings per day. The engines were mostly pannier tanks and sometimes 14xx engines. The 14xx would have needed to take on water. All engines were turned before travelling back up the branch. I need to come up with a schedule of interesting operation.

Hello everyone I am sorry I did not make the problem clear. I start off trying to make a compact O gauge shunting layout. But then I start adding to it and it gets too big. The original plan was 3300mm x 675mm. Now it is 3600mm x 675mm. Here is most of Fairford station in O gauge. It is 7metres long. The red line indicates the space I have allowed for the scenic section, which is 2700mm (9'). I thought if I could just model the engine shed end I would have some interesting operation in a small space. Well I have made the layout longer by increasing the length of the fiddle yard to 1200mm. I have done this because I think that coaches would be placed in one of the two long sidings. I have reduced the width of the scenic boards to 600mm. I am not concerned about the cassette fiddle yard board as it is plain and not too big to move around. The engine shed board is 1500 x 600mm which is large to move about. I can remove the engine shed when I move the board. Here are image's of the turntable and yard. I not sure where the image's came from. The engine on the left is on the turntable track. The other is on the points. As you can see from the the original plan there was not a coaling stage. Do I need one? How did they coal the engines? I cannot see an ash pit. Did they use the engine shed? It is up to me as I can model it, as like Fairford. Does the coaling stage add much to the operation of the model? Does it just make the model look cluttered? Is 13' x 2' compact in O gauge? The scenic section is 9' x 2'. Ken

Hello everyone As usual I have extended the layout and made it more complex which is a mistake I keep making. Ken

Thank you for your help everyone. I have tried using 3 way points and double slips but because of their length I cannot get them to fit into the plan. You are right the boards are too wide. The real site was quite large. Here is my latest try at getting the plan into a smaller space: I am still not happy with this. It looks wrong. I can shunt wagons and timber trucks into the builders yard. I can shunt coal wagons into the coal yard. I can refuel the engine and put it into the engine shed. With the run round loop it looks like too much track, but without it, it will be boring. I could take out the engine shed connection. Ken One last try. The layout is now 16' long. Baseboard joins are still a problem. The RH set track point in the cassette fiddle yard may not be used.

Hello everyone I have another project underway which is not going so well. Therefore I have brought back a plan that I had some time ago. This is the end of the line at Fairford station on the Fairford branch in O gauge. Scenic boards are 2400mm x 675mm. Fiddle yard 1000 x 375. The red line is a baseboard join. There is a lot of very good information and photos online about the station. I have read that all the engines were turned before the return journey. I have not seen a photo which shows an ash pit outside the engine shed. There is an inspection pit in the engine shed. There is a photo which shows two pannier tanks near the shed. So two engines in steam on the line. Ken

Thank you very much everyone. Now I know I can get one I will work on my plan for Fairford engine shed. Metal smith or Kitwood Hill. There is a price and size difference. I will measure the space I have and the size of the engines to confirm which turntable would be best. Ken

Hello everyone Does anyone know where I can purchase an O gauge model of a 55ft or 50ft turntable. A company called Greenwood model railway products made one in the past, but they are not listed on their website anymore. There is a company called Kitwood Hills models that sell turntables that are 48ft, but I do not know anything about the company. The largest engine would be a Lionheart small prairie engine and maybe the Dapol 3MT 2-6-2. The turntable would be for a model of the engine shed at Fairford. The turntable may have been a Ransomes and Rapier model. Thank you for your help.

Hello Paul Thankyou for your advice. I have tried to fit a C&L three way point in, but cannot get it to work. I have remade the plan using set track: I am not happy with this, too many points and not enough sidings. Here is version 2: Here is version 3: Thank you for your help Ken

Hello Nick Please can you tell how you calculate the length in O gauge 7mm scale. If 3mtrs is 750 ft in OO is it 375 ft in 7mm? Sorry for the late reply Ken

Hello everyone I made a mistake with the actual site plan and left out a siding. Revised plan: I am not sure what the track layout was like at the left hand end as this is not clear, but it does not matter as I do not have room for lots of tracks coming off a single line. I have had some problems trying to make this plan in O gauge. The red lines are baseboard joins. Each square is 300mm. Fiddle yard board 600x750mm. Scenic boards 3000x1000. This is what I have come up with for now: I had a real problem trying to get the run round to come off a horizontal track. I made a 150mm (6") piece of track between point A and B which made point C line up correctly. The engine shed is on a kick back with only half the engine shed modelled. Engines go into the cassette fiddle yard and can be turned or changed. Although all the elements are there, four sidings and an engine shed, I am not happy with this plan as it looks a bit contrived. Would a three way point at the left side where the tracks leave the fiddle yard look odd in a goods yard? Would a double slip be used in a goods yard? Thank you for your help Ken